Disappointing Year

Has anyone else been disappointed with selling pens at Craft Fairs this year, my takings now compared with last year is 52% down. Talking to other stall holders everyone seem to be suffering.
Glen

I'm only now starting to attend fairs and so far...well.....not much doing. I have already had the "too expensive" and "no one uses pens any more" comments but I just ignore them. I can't be that expensive, a customer of mine (work customer) came round to my house yesterday and bought 7 pens, 3 boxes and four pouches.

I hope things improve for you.

I'm doing very well on sales in fact I think my sales are up 100% this year ! Mind you I only sold one last year

Please tell us your marketing technique Vic, you obviously know something we don’t.
It’s a rollercoaster Glen.

Percentage,quality and variety to suit the situation. I sense trends and drifts. Here the trade Wood Show last weekend was miserable,the stock of pen materials lean and the prices were sky high. 29.00 CA, AU etc. During the week I succumbed to increasing the ability of my Taig Lathe. I have a buddy at the Royal Mint who will pass on the finest point cutters used for the brilliant detail in coins. So I will experiment with these. Two more specialist mutterings will result in an operation in the left lower leg and another cheeky look up and try to fix more damage from Radiation burns in Bowel following Cancer 3 yrs ago.

Pandoras boxes of beautiful timbers will spill out of my blank room,hope smiles again. Let me use the Christmas word its being peddled here commercially again,great presents and sales await you.

Peter.

I have not sold any pens at all, i just don't know how to. Been in uniform all my working life so no experience.

Could be Brexit - Oh dear, now I've gone and said it

Might pick up at Christmas though, pens make good, individual, personal and unique presents. Guess what my family are getting

Cheers
Frederick

Brexit..... Isn't that what a big northern lass does to a weak chair?

Steve68 said:

Brexit..... Isn't that what a big northern lass does to a weak chair?

Click to expand...

Now THAT made me laugh

glenpen said:

Has anyone else been disappointed with selling pens at Craft Fairs this year, my takings now compared with last year is 52% down. Talking to other stall holders everyone seem to be suffering.
Glen

Click to expand...

We haven’t done bad at all this year, pens and other stuff we make, we dont just to craft fairs but have a few shops selling pens and other items on a commission basis and we have not done bad at all.
Certainly haven’t covered our outlay = costs though as its been an expensive year in tools, kit etc but hopefully next year will be good for all of us

Havent had any sales this year only given pens etc away.

Had a few PM’s and messages about selling pens etc.

Craft fairs are good and can be a fun day out (in my opinion treat it as a day out NOT as a way to make money) just look around, there are so many people making pens now, it is most definitely a Buyers Market and prices have dropped significantly.

We sell through various shops in our area, we just asked if they would sell our pens (+ other bits) on a commision basis or we give them a list of what we will put in there shop, what WE want for that item and then they charge what they want.
It’s ALL done on a sale or return basis, they dont have any stock outlay, all they do is sell the items
We go back in once a month to re-stock, change items that have been in there for more than a month and invoice for what has been sold.
Belive it or not we have sold MORE that way than any other, one little shop sells on average 10 to 15 pens a month we make a bit, the shop make a bit and everyone is happy :wink:

Craft fairs (In my honest opinion) are a day out, a bit of fun and a good way to meet other like minded people, if you go expecting to sell and make a profit then I am afraid your more than likely going to be disappointed.
We do a couple of wood based craft fairs and I normally end up spending more than we make

But I treat this as a hobby, its my escape for the daily grind of a job that had my stress levels up through the roof and 2 heart attacks later was told to slow down, chill out or die

I have about 200 pens in “Stock” some I will never be able to sell as they are a bit quirky - odd but that is me experimenting

But I enjoy it, I enjoy the casting, the turning, the end result in my hand and being totally lost in what I am creating, selling them is a bonus for me.

So get out and about, take your pens with you, work out what you want for them (Remember they are RETAIL so will not take them for TOP ££££s - they have to resell them remember) and get yourself out there and put them about.
Oh and dont forget to do a little write up about you and your pens and that your happy to take commissions, got a lot of sales that way

Hope this helps

Yep, me too. I just love making them.

Cheers